Bee Behind Bars

Brittany owns (and can regularly be seen behind the bars of) a 2006 Yamaha R6S, a 2009 Triumph Street Triple R and a 2004 Honda CRF 230F.

Breezy

The Yamaha, “Breezy”, is the Bee’s first motorcycle. It must have been the summer solstice pulling at her throttle wallet hand… the R6 was purchased new (on a whim) on June 21, 2006. Brittany learned how to ride on this supersport, which she admits wasn’t the best choice for a beginner. Thankfully, Brittany’s goal of arriving home safely was always the driving force behind her decisions on the bike. Tons of training and a little luck has helped her stay shiny side up for the last 11 years. *Cue tapping knuckles to wood now.

Breezy was customized in conjunction with Bang Customs in 2007 and Paul Boyden Customs less than a year later. The bike won the 2WheelTuner/Yamaha/Boz Bros amateur build contest at the RedBull MotoGP Indianapolis in 2008. Vibrant pink, white, purple and glossy black paint cover the bike from wheel to frame. One-off Queen Bee heel guards, white ostrich seats, custom tachometer backdrop, carbon fiber Akrapovic shorty exhaust and unicorn valve stem covers make Breezy a rare creature indeed.  It has since seen all three coasts in the United States and continues to perform perfectly with 40,000+ miles on the odometer.

Brittany prefers to ride the R6 in appropriate settings like track days, training, safety demos, and the mountain/canyon roads near her home in Southern California.

 

 

Buzzy

The Triumph, “Buzz”, was purchased from a friend in March of 2015. Brittany’s goal was to travel the country on a bike sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of long distance and still sporty enough to show the twisties who’s boss. Buzz has since traveled from California to Florida, to Ohio and back again over a span of 13 months (July 2015-July 2016), adding nearly 15,000 miles to the odometer. Mission accomplished.

Aesthetically, the Triumph is currently a work-in-progress, with much of the custom work attributed to KevTek Custom Cycles. Gold and black powdercoating, carbon fiber rear sets, Twisted Throttle Alurack, steel braided lines, a full titanium Arrow exhaust, black header wrap and a honeycomb radiator guard contribute to Buzz’s appropriateness as chariot to the Queen Bee.

Brittany prefers to ride the Triumph on long distance, multiple overnight trips where the ride starts and ends in a different location each day.

Dizzy

Brittany’s Honda was purchased in May 2016. It is mostly stock, save the Acerbis hand guards (which she proudly installed herself) and carries the name “Dizzy” because she crashes… a lot. Thankfully, because she’s still learning, most of her crashes are at (and caused by) low speed.

Brittany is currently in denial over her lack of skills (especially on soft sand) and is often heard saying, “Dirt don’t hurt!” She has much to learn.

Zoomicorn

You might have noticed the purple unicorn “stowaway” gripping the handlebars in some of the photos shared here. That’s Bee’s beloved Zoomicorn, who goes everywhere Brittany goes on a motorcycle. The tradition started in 2016 when she sent identical hitchhiking unicorns to three of her fellow riders across the USA and Canada. Receiving a Zoomicorn is an honor bestowed upon those whom Brittany considers to be inspirational.  Zoomicorn is both a source of whimsical joy and a symbol of camaraderie.

Brittany hopes that someday it might evolve into a charity fundraising effort.

Others

You might notice the bars of motorcycles not listed above in some posts on Bee Behind Bars. Brittany sometimes borrows motorcycles when she travels beyond the reach of her own machines. This can be due to things like overseas commitments, but usually a borrowed bike simply means there were time constraints to be somewhere and flying (in a plane rather than down the freeway) was the best option.

Rest assured, although the type of bars might change from time to time, the hands that hold them are always those of the Bee.